READING: 1 Kings 18:17-40 (Text v39.)
Ever wondered why it is that a church can be small and struggling (and remain that way) - insignificant in the community - and not even looking like changing for many years to come; and then ALL OF A SUDDEN, through a series of events - a speaker comes with a word from the Lord, or a new pastor takes over (or an old one takes to prayer) - THINGS BEGIN TO MOVE. That little church just explodes with life and becomes an unstoppable force.
OR have you ever thought why it is that a person can be brought up in a Christian home for many years, attend church regularly, even see the miraculous, and yet remain untouched by the Word of God and the power of the gospel; and then, in ONE BRIEF MOMENT, they are changed - someone who has been praying for years finally wins through - their lives are infilled with God’s power and immediately they’re not only saved but set on fire and become a contagious reviver of other hearts.
When you read the Bible, do you consider why it is that the children of Israel spent long periods of time in difficult circumstances, and then all of a sudden God intervened and raised up a man to deliver them. Like, for instance, when they spent 400 YEARS in bondage in Egypt - timid, broken-spirited slaves - and then along came Moses and then NOTHING could prevent their miraculous escape under God’s hand.
These are encouraging things for us to observe aren’t they? Whatever your situation today - though we long for a mighty outpouring of God’s Spirit upon our church but it seems slow in coming - though you have loved ones whom you long to see saved; but you’ve prayed for so long for little results - though you personally have desired for years to see God move in your workplace, but nothing ever seems to happen:-
PRESS INTO GOD!! For the time is coming when God will declare that the day is His to show His glory - TO BEAR HIS ARM - and nothing can stand against Him IN THAT DAY - “The DAY of the LORD’S POWER”.
This evening we are going to see this truth from the passage of Scripture that we’ve read. We’re going to see the “DAY of the LORD’S POWER” when all those who look on are made to behold and to declare (v39) “the Lord, He is God - the Lord, He is God”.
An amazing account of an amazing day in Israel’s history; a history marred by many failures and disappointments.
The Lord had been so faithful to Israel in bringing her out of Egypt and into the promised land - but continually she turned her back on Him.
The Israelites had the power, in God, to completely conquer Canaan and to become a standard of righteousness to influence the nations around about.
BUT INSTEAD, they continually wanted to be accepted by their neighbours - they wanted to “be as other nations”. God said, “YOU’RE NOT LIKE other nations - you’re a peculiar people unto me”. BUT STILL they insisted on following the ways of other nations.
They constantly drifted to worshipping idols and foreign gods. OH, YES, they worshipped the ONE TRUE GOD who’d led them out of captivity - along with the many ba-al gods and Ashorahs of Canaan; they adopted the mentality of their heathen neighbours.
So here they were - the Israelites - no longer in slavery to Egyptian master, but still very much in bondage to worshipping false gods who could not do anything for them.
This went on for some time - till it was the “status quo”. BUT THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, God raised up a man: ELIJAH.
You know the story, we read it earlier; the prophet Elijah challenged all of the prophets of these false gods to a SHOW-DOWN ON MT. CARMEL.
YOU SEE: it may have been acceptable by the other pagan’s standards to worship many gods, but Jehovah had declared to the Israelites that He was the only TRUE God, and as such He was jealous for the affections of His people’s hearts - He would not (AND WILL NOT) share His glory with another!
So, guided by the Lord, Elijah puts out the challenge . . . (READ v21-24).
The challenge is accepted - the false prophets go FIRST.
The first thing I want to draw your attention to from this passage is:
1. THE ARROGANCE OF MAN’S EFFORT.
Look at the odds stacked against Elijah (naturally speaking):
i) The prophets of Ba-al had first shot.
Think about that. If so much as a matchstick-head worth of fire had been seen falling on the altar in answer to their chanting and prayers, Elijah wouldn’t have even got a look in.
The people wanted the ba-als to be right (NO-ONE stood with Elijah). If fire had fallen he would have been killed on the spot, and Israel may have been a pagan nation today! He would not even have been given the opportunity to call on God.
ii) There were 450 prophets of Ba-al AND 400 prophets of “the groves” (ASHORAH). 850 to ONE; how would you like those odds?
But Elijah knew a couple of very important factors:
1) All of their chanting was merely man’s effort AND
2) The day had been declared “THE LORD’S”!
Look at the futile arrogance of the false prophets’ efforts:
- they prayed
- they screamed
- they danced
- they yelled
- they cut themselves with lances
- they tried every incantation and ceremony they knew
BUT TO NO AVAIL. Ba-al did not answer; Ba-al COULD NOT answer.
This Ba-al was no more than a demon (a fallen angel_ who had been created by the God of Elijah. He was an impressive imposter, but he was a phoney - and when God whistled the tune he had to dance. THIS DAY WAS THE LORD’S.
Look at Elijah! Was he threatened by all the song and dance of these so-called prophets? No way. They carried on from morning till evening - until they were completely exhausted, and all the while Elijah goaded them (READ v27).
Elijah understood HOW GOD WORKS! How he would take one poor prophet (owning only the clothes on his back) and pit him against 850 false prophets so that when he won, everyone could see that it had to be the work of the Lord. “HE WILL NOT SHARE HIS GLORY WITH ANOTHER”.
1 Corinthians 1:27-29 says - God has chosen the foolish things of the world ... (READ).
The second thing I want to draw your attention to is:
2. THE ABSENCE OF SATAN’S REPLY.
READ v24.
There is NO record of the prophet’s of Ba-al faltering at Elijah’s challenge! THEY WILLINGLY ACCEPTED. It would appear that they fully expected Ba-al to answer and prove himself.
Satanic miracles were commonplace amongst the pagan nations of the Old Testament. Remember the court magicians of Pharaoh that Moses encountered? (Ref: Exodus 7:10-12).
BUT there is no such miracle of this occasion!
When God declares that the day is His, when He DETERMINES to manifest His power, NOTHING can intervene.
Satan could not come near - he couldn’t even get a look in.
Oh friends, by all means realize your authority over Satan; BUT don’t waste your breath on him: PRAY FOR A SOVEREIGN MOVE OF GOD. If God moves by His sovereign power, the devil’s not a problem.
The devil has never won over God! Even as Jesus hung on the cross - a battered wreck of humanity - the devil wasn’t gloating, no - I believe he was trembling with fear: he knew the Word of God! He knew what God has promised in Genesis 3:15. Oh yes, he loved to see Jesus wracked with pain - that’s his hateful nature - but he knew it would be short-lived.
The prayers of the prophets of Ba-al went unanswered.
NO DUALISM! NO COSMIC CHESS GAME! Just the work of a sovereign God.
Finally, in this story, we see:
3. THE ATTENDANCE OF GOD’S POWER.
The day was the Lord’s! As Elijah had recognized from the beginning. Listen, this was no “spur-of-the-moment” thing for Elijah. His challenge came from KNOWING THE MIND OF GOD. His confidence came from KNOWING THE GREATNESS OF GOD. Elijah KNEW God. He lived in His presence.
See the first thing Elijah did (v30) - he repaired the neglected altar of the Lord (went back to the basics). He would not use the altar of the prophets of Ba’al. It had been polluted with their prayers to an unanswering God.
Then (v33-35) - as if to make it harder for God to answer - he had 12 barrels of water poured over the offering to soak it. Elijah was determined that when God answered, it would be seen by all as absolutely supernatural; NOTHING OF HIMSELF.
Finally - he prayed. Note the contrast between the ravings of the false prophets and the quiet request of the man of God! Listen friend, there’s no need to scream at God for answers - to punish yourself before Him (like the false prophets cut themselves) - if you really KNOW Him; if you walk in right relationship with Him - SIMPLY ASK!
Can you imagine the people looking on as Elijah stepped up to his altar to call on God? “Come on Elijah - why not wait until tomorrow - we’ll come back? We’ve sat here all day watching these guys - we couldn’t take another hour of this!”
Can you imagine Elijah’s reply? “Just hand on,” (a smile on his face, and a glint in his eye), “THIS WON’T TAKE A MINUTE”.
This man knew God! And he knew that this day was the Lord’s!
Friends, the false prophets of a myriad false gods are encamped around Devonport right now. If they can, they will drag this town into the bondage of idolatry. Some of these gods are easily recognizable (the new age, witchcraft, cults, etc), but some are very subtle: materialism, success, sex, etc.
As Leonard Ravenhill wrote in his book, Why Revival Tarries, “The world is crying out ‘where is the Lord God of Elijah’, and the answer is that He is where He has always been . . . but where are the Elijahs?”
We need to set ourselves to prayer. We need, firstly, to get to know God, and, secondly, we need to cry out to Him for our generation: that God may declare the Day of His Power.
Finally, let me point out one last thing from this passage: immediately after God answered Elijah by fire, and Elijah put all the false prophets to death (v40), with the nation’s attention turned back to God we see the drought broken in the land (v41). If we are to see the great spiritual drought broken in Australia, and a mighty outpouring of latter rain revival, then first we must see the Day of the Lord’s Power. First we must see the false gods of this nation destroyed; and for that we need some mighty Elijahs!
AMEN!
APPEAL:
- For Elijahs.
- For those in a situation needing “The day of the Lord’s power”.
- For those who don’t know Jesus - in the grip of false gods.
